Color: An Alternate Ending (Original Story by Evershadow)
by ifitwereblue
Summary: This is an alternate ending for the story Color by Evershadow. It contains only one chapter. The ending is a bit different to the original, if you're interested, don't hesitate to read!


**Author's note: So I have this idea about how i woud imagine Color by Evershadow ends. With all due respect to Evershadow, I personally am a big fan of the story itself. I'm not a writer btw, this is like my first time actually. I just need to express my imagination somehow. I'm the definition of amateur writer tbh, and sorry if there are some misspell or grammatical errors since English isn't my first language. Before getting to the story, at first I don't know how much age gap Santana and Nancy had, so I just decided that they only had maybe like 4-5 years age gap, in order for this story to work. So, here it goes.**

Alternate ending (Chapter 20 on Color)

Nevada, Las Vegas, 7 years Later.

"My plane will be at 1pm tomorrow, Nancy. Yes. Don't worry, I'll be okay. Yeah I think I'll be visiting her too, is that okay? Thanks, Nancy. Love you". Santana clicked the red botton on her phone then continued getting ready for her trip to Lima the next day. Rachel was throwing her 33rd bithday party at breadstix. Her first celebration at home after many years she had been celebrating them in New York. Since this was the special occasion, almost everyone flew themselves back home for the party.

The next morning, she took a cab to the airport because Nancy was still out of town checking out their newest branch of Maddie's in San Fransisco. While on the plaine, Santana didn't use the in flight entertainment at all. She just sat there, thinking and being excited to be back home and seeing her friends after years they didn't see each other. Well, actually those were not the only things she was thinking. She has got bigger task to do in Lima. Asking permission, to be percise. While thinking and arranging the words she would have to say to her, She touched and played with the shiny silver ring placed on her left ring finger, back and forth with the other new one she made as a necklace now hanging down her neck.

When Santana got off the plane, she rebooted her phone and opened a message from Quinn about 20 minutes ago. "Hey, you landed yet? I'm already here. Meet me at the 2nd gate". Santana walked down to the gate with her cabin bagage, slowly inhaled and exhaled and told herself to be ready. When she reached the 2nd gate of Arrival, she recognized a blonde woman standing with her arms crossed on her chest. "Quinn!" Santana yelled a little, too excited about seeing one of her bestfriend again. "Oh my God, Santana!...", the two women hugged, letting out the excitement of seeing each other. "...Oh I've missed you so much! Come on, my car's right there". Santana and Quinn walked out of the airport building together to the parking lot.

When Quinn drove away from the airport area, they started to catch up with each other, Santana almost forgot of how close they were and everything just came back so easily with Quinn. She was one of the greatest girl to be around with. "So, how long are you planning on staying here, San?" Quinn started the conversation. "Well, only two nights. I've got a lot of things to do in Nevada. My restaurant is having a new headchef. So it's still kind of a mess. A lot of things need some adjustments..." "WHAT? You're leaving a day after the party? Not cool, San!" Quinn interrupted, shocked that her bestfriend was leaving so soon. "yeah well, sorry! I promise to make it up to you guys on the next occasion. So, who's already in town? When did you get here, Q?" "Since two days ago. My Husband is having a great day at work I think, that he let me have this trip for a week long. Mercedes, Tina and Mike and Kurt and Blain got here yesterday. Artie will be here this evening, and Puck... I think he'll get here tomorrow morning." Quinn explained. "Wow, so... pretty much the whole gang will be here then!" Santana said with a big smile on her face. "Of course!.." The blonde was carried away with the excitement too, "...This time, no one is skipping the reunion. Or the next one coming, or the next after that. We've got to make this thing annual, seriously." "Agreed."

The rest of the car ride they spent in silence. Busy with their own thoughts. For Santana, she just felt really good to be back home. When Quinn pulled over in front of Santana's parent's house, the brunette took her bags out and leaned on the passanger's window from outside the car, "Thanks for picking me up, Q. I'll see you tomorrow" "No problem, S!" Then the blonde took off.

When Santana rang the doorbell, her mother opened the door and welcomed her only child warmly. Inside, her father was watching TV and got up after seeing her daughter came into the house and gave her a big hug. "We're going straight to dinner. You must be starving from the travel" Santana's mother rushed to the kitchen and made the table ready. "Oh Mami, I was not travelling from Asia for God's sake, just relax". Santana found it silly that their parents still treat her like a little baby everytime she visited home. She guessed it was because of the rare occasion.

After the delightful dinner, Santana excused herself to go to bed. She was really exhausted after all. When She entered her room, it felt really peacelful. Her parents did not change a thing in Santana's room. They said it was because that way it reminded them of simpler times, when Santana was still around, well, that was before Brittany's incident happened. Santana looked around her old bedroom, then stopped at the photos standing on her nightstand. Two pictures of her and brittany were still there. In one of them, the two girls were in the choir room back in Mckinley High, still wearing that legendary red Cheerios uniform. They smiled looking straight to the camera. The other picture, showed them sleeping side by side on the bed at Katie and Trisha's house. Santana printed the photo twice. One for her bedroom, and one she took with her to Nevada. Santana smiled at the picture. No matter how long it has been since the last time she was with Brittany, the Latina always feels the warmth, joy and pain at the same time everytime she looks at a picture of Brittany, or when she just thinks about her. "You're not going to believe of what I'm going to tell you later, B".

The next day, on the afternoon Santana was getting ready for Rachel's birthday party when the phone rang. "Hey Girl!" The person on the other line greeted. "Oh hey, Mercedes! Oh it's good to hear your voice. You still up for tonight, right?" Santana said. "Of course I am! Just wanna check in, we'll pick you up at 6pm okay?" "Wait, I thought Quinn was the one picking me up", Santana got confused of the new arrangement. "Yeah, silly! We both are picking you up. Quinn and I are meeting for lunch since our places are close. Quinn is asking me to go shopping with her afterwards. But after that we're gonna pick you up at house then straight to the party." "Well okay then. Can't wait. See you tonight!". Santana put her phone down and got into shower.

When Santana, Quinn and Mercedes arrived at breadstix, Rachel, Finn and Artie were already there. "Wassup guysss" Quinn yelled to them. "OH MY GOD QUINN!" Rachel practically screamed when she saw Quinn entered the room, possibly didn't even recognize that Santana and Mercedes was there too. Quinn went for a hug with the birthday girl. Funny that they were not with each other seeing how much gayness is in both of them, and that the two girls decided to get married with boys instead, Santana thought. The group hugged each other and started to order some drinks while waiting for the rest to arrive.

The night is getting late. Santana has had some drinks though she did not want to get too drunk. Artie was belting some Michael in the open mic. Then Santana remembered that she still had one thing she hasn't told her friends yet. "Hey guys, I have something to tell you.." Santana finally embraced herself to the topic. "Nancy asked me to marry her..." "WHATT?!" suddenly the group responded all at the same time. ".. yeah, and I said yes" Santana continued. "Oh my God, Santana, that's incredible!" Rachel said. "Congratulations, Santana!" Mike wrapped his arm around Santana's shoulders, then everyone just started to hug her. Santana was a little surprised that none of her friends wondered how she dealt with Brittany. She guessed that her friends just didn't want to go back there and that they were really glad that Santana was actually moving on, until Quinn came up to her and talked to her with a little whisper so that everyone wouldn't listen, "S, I'm really, really happy for you.." "Thanks, Quinn" "But,..." Santana knew that Quinn noticed something about it. "When we met at the airport, and then in the car, I noticed that you're still wearing the ring Brittany gave to you, so I thought, you know, although you and Nancy are already in a relationship for almost one and a half year now, that somehow you are still not over Brittany yet. But I didn't wanna bring that up. And tonight, realize it or not, you are still wearing Brittany's ring, S". Quinn said all those words with a little concerned intonation. "Yeah, I know, Q. Nancy has been very understanding with my situation, and helping. All this time we're dating she really accepts that sometimes I still think about Brittany. But then about a week ago, she asked me to marry her. She said there is no rush. I want to marry her, you know? She's a great person. But I feel like I have to talk to Brittany first before I can actually take this ring off and replace it with the one Nancy gave me," Santana took her necklace with the ring out of her blouse and showed it to Quinn. "...So I think I'm going to visit Brittany tomorrow morning before my flight, and talk to her about this. I'm just glad that Nancy undertands and supports my decision." Santana said with a little hope written in her eyes. "That's a beautiful ring, S. I'm glad that you are moving forward. I'm sure Brittany would want nothing but happiness for you. I'm really, really proud of you. And i surely can't wait for the invitation." Quinn teased the brunette a little. "Sure, Q, you'd be the first the get it".

The next morning, Santana took an aspirin as the result of the previous night. She drank a little too much after all. There's always no control everytime the Gleeks had a party. After she hit the shower and had some breakfast, her father was ready to take her to the airport. "Papi, could you take me a another place first?" Santana asked.

When the two of them arrived at the cemetery, Santana got out of the car, her father waited in the car, not wanting to interrupt a private moment. When the Latina reached to Brittany's grave, she sat down on the side and smiled with a little tear hanging near her left eye. "Hey, Britt,.." She greeted Brittany with a little shaky voice. "I'm so sorry I haven't visited for a long time. I've been very busy, can you believe it?.." And just like that, everytime Santana visits Brittany, she doesn't need much time to start telling her her life although the brunette never got any responses. "...My business with Nancy is getting better and better. We're having a new branch in San Fransisco. I hope you're proud of me, Britt." Santana smiled, thinking that Brittany would totally be proud of her achievements. "The Glee club had a reunion last night, everyone was there. It was super fun, I'm glad to see our friends again. They said hi. I can tell they all miss you, B. _I miss you_." Santana said those last three words with a deeper voice. ".. But Britt, I have something important to tell you. You remember the night when Nancy first kissed me? I told you right away that night before i went to sleep. It's almost one and a half year ago. You know, even since before we were dating, she was really understanding about my situation, B, about my feelings, my family, and mostly, _about us_." Santana started to get to the main part. "I think I love her, B, Not sure if it's as much as I love you though, but, it doesn't make you mad, right?-" Santana started to cry. "-and about a week ago, she asked me to marry her. And, B, I said yes.." Santana tried so hard to finish the story with her sobbing so hard. "...but I told her, I just can't replace your ring with hers right away. I need to talk to you first." Santana reached for the ring in her necklace and figuratively showed it to Brittany. "Britt... Would it be okay, if I moved on?..." Santana paused, in one way she kinda hoped for a response. But realizing that there would never be one, she continued, "-The one thing I have struggled with all these years was that I can't let you go. I can't let you go, Britt. And this woman, has been really helping me going through all that. And Britt, She makes me happy. You're glad that I met someone who makes me happy, right?..." Santana remembered the time Brittany said that the only thing mattered to her was Santana's happiness. "..and I think she is the only one who can help me, you know, try, I mean, _really try_ to get on with my life, and to really accept the fact that you are not here anymore, B.." Santana paused for a couple of seconds, couldn't contain tears streaming down her face. "...but I just want you to know, that you are my first love, I will always love you and nothing could ever change that fact. You are irreplacable to me. And this is _not_ me leaving you. You will always have a special place in my heart. I won't forget you cause you and I both know I just can't. But I think now is the perfect time for me to actually... move on." With the courage Santana had been building for the past week, she took the ring in her finger off, slowly. As she did it, a little montage of the time Brittany gave the ring to her at the beach just started to play in her head, making her cried even harder, reminiscing the 12-year-old perfect memory. And then she replaced it with the one hanging by her necklace. Then, the two rings switched places. "I'd still wear your ring in my necklace, don't worry." Santana said it with a little grin, teasing Brittany. "But, I don't know if I'm going to wear it for the rest of my life, B. As much as I want to, I have to think about Nancy's feelings too, right? though I'm sure for now she wouldn't mind. But I promise I won't lose it. Britt, you need to know that, whatever happens, you're mine. Always mine. And I'm yours too. And I know you're always watching me from up there. For the rest of my life, you are special to me, you understand?" Santana said those last sentences with a little convincing tone. Making sure that Brittany understood what she was trying to say. "Okay, Britt, I think that's it for now.." Santana exhaled heavily, letting out what was left in her chest one last time. "-I have a plane to catch. I promise I will visit again soon. Possibly with Nancy. You would want to meet her, right?.." Santana got up, but eyes were still on the gravestone. "Goodbye, Brittany, I'll see you when I see you." After that, Santana started to walk slowly to the car. A tear dropped once again from her eye, but know, with a smile on her lips.

Santana got the window seat. It was Brittany's favorite seat on the plane, mostly because so that the blonde could stare at the coulds she loved so much. But now it became Santana's. She looked outside the plane window as the cabin crew explained some flight safety procedures to all passangers. Afterwards, the plane started to move backwards, getting to its takeoff position. Santana kept looking outside the window. She's leaving Ohio again, back to Las Vegas. But somehow, it felt different. Knowing that her future is waiting for her. Santana was happy that everything worked out, that she was able to go through all of those. Not only for the past two days, but for the past 12 years she had been struggling since the love of her life died. And for the big news, She's at ease that she was able to tell that to her friends, her parents, and most importantly, to Brittany. A smile is painted on her face that she knew somehow she has already gotten Brittany's blessing. Santana kept that smile for the rest of the flight, and hopefully for the rest of her life because finally, she knew, that the best way to remember someone, is not with tears. But with a smile.

(end)

**So that's pretty much it. I know it's far from similar to the original. But that's kinda the point. I just feel like Santana has every right to get on with her life, and she's been really sad but also been trying so hard to move on, I'd just like to see everything she's been working on paid off. I've dealt with lost and I figured the best way to face it is acceptance. And once you earn it, you'll remember the one you lost by smiling, and thinking about the only good times you had with that person.**


End file.
